Funerals take on personalized feel

Families honor loved ones with unique touches

9:42 PM,
Feb. 8, 2014

Written by

Heidi Hall
| hhall@tennessean.com

Folks might talk casually about wanting a funeral where friends and family celebrate their life instead of mourn their death, but until recently, it was rare for their survivors to carry out those wishes.

Now, a national poll commissioned by funeral home chain Dignity Memorial shows a desire for nontraditional funerals, and in Nashville, there's growing anecdotal evidence of follow-through. While the city ranked lowest on the percentage of people who wanted a nontraditional funeral - about a third of those surveyed - it ranked highest, 80 percent, for those who want music played that ...